National Signing Day 2017 is less than three months away, so this week we take a look at some of the more interesting numbers in the SEC recruiting world.
10 - Class of 2017 prospects committed to Ole Miss
The Rebels’ 10-member class is the smallest in the SEC, at least partially due to the combination of stumbling to a 4-5 record and a looming NCAA investigation. The possibility of sanctions does plenty to give recruits pause. Of the 10 prospects on the Rebels’ commitment list, only Rivals250 athlete D.D. Bowie, an in-state product, is ranked higher than three stars.
4 - Five-star prospects committed to Alabama
Alabama has the nation’s top class, which should shock nobody as the Tide has been on a recruiting roll for years. Nick Saban’s five-star haul this time around is headed up by California-based running back Najee Harris, the nation’s top-ranked prospect. Alex Leatherwood provides Alabama with a five-star presence on the offensive line, while wide receiver commit Jerry Jeudy and linebacker pledge Dylan Moses also carry five-star status.
9 - Career wins for Ed Orgeron as an interim head coach
LSU interim head coach Ed Orgeron is 9-3 lifetime in his two stints as a stopgap coach. Orgeron was 6-2 as head coach at USC in the wake of Lane Kiffin’s dismissal and has amassed a 3-1 record at LSU this season. What’s maybe more interesting about Orgeron’s interim win total is that it’s just one fewer than the 10 wins he notched in a three-season stint as Ole Miss’ permanent high coach from 2005 until 2007 when he went 10-25.
3.4 - Average star ranking of the last five quarterbacks to sign with Florida
Florida’s quarterback situation is unstable at best and led the Gators to hit the transfer market for starter Luke Del Rio. The Gators have high hopes for redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks, a top-200 prospect who signed with UF last Signing Day, but the fact that Florida declined to take a quarterback in the 2015 class hasn’t helped matters. UF has commitments from two quarterbacks in its current class, which is headlined by four-star Jake Allen.
5 - Number of 6.0 four-stars committed to Georgia
The Bulldogs may not have a five-star prospect committed in this year’s class, but they have four players just one tier below the coveted 6.1 mark. Georgia has signed at least one five-star prospect in each of the last three recruiting classes and the school’s coaches have their sites set on several uncommitted five-stars. So which one is the most likely to keep the streak alive? Five-star linebacker Nate McBride is an in-state product and he’s likely to stay close to home with the Dawgs.
3.26 - Average star ranking of Tennessee’s recruiting class
The Vols have recruited well under Butch Jones over the past three classes and this year is no exception, as the team currently sits No. 8 nationally in the Rivals.com Team Rankings. However, the average star rating of committed players comes in at eighth best in the SEC and would be the school’s lowest since the Class of 2013, Jones’ first in Knoxville and one that was built quickly after he took the job. The Vols still have several highly-ranked targets on their board, but with 27 commits already in the fold, new additions could mean cutting ties with longstanding commitments.
0 - The number of four-star commitments in Vanderbilt’s class
The Commodores didn’t pick up their first commitment of the 2017 class until June, and while the school recently added 5.7 three-star linebacker Dimitri Moore, there still isn’t a player ranked four-stars or higher on the school’s commitment list. Vanderbilt has signed at least one 5.9 four-star or higher in each of the last three classes, but it remains to be seen if that streak will stay alive.
8 - The number of in-state prospects committed to South Carolina
The Gamecocks have made it a priority to keep in-state talent home, and this year’s class shows the hard work paying off. South Carolina has seven of the state’s top 15 players committed, including four of the top five. With the Class of 2018 set to be one of the best in recent years in the state, the groundwork is being laid for a big year of battles between the Gamecocks and in-state rival Clemson.